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& is there anywhere scenic to stop, have breakfast get the bikes out etc..
We did this one time and it took AAAAAAAAGES. Most tolls have a road alongside that roughly follows the path, we used them but we were many hours later to our destination, and we did it on a Sunday so everywhere to stop was shut. It was kind of a fun adventure, and we saw some lovely bits of France, but we took the tolls back and saved the difference in fuel economy going at a constant speed rather than stopping and starting at junctions and changing speed limits.
I did this a few times back in the day - ferry to dunkirk then down through belgium and luxumberg (fill up the car on cheap fuel here) before doing the bottom bit of france. This makes approx 80% of the way on motorways, rather than in and out of boring towns on route nationals. Takes 2-3 hours longer than the big french roads.
the roads down the bottom bit of france are nice ish - probably places to stop there - tbh, other than a fuel stop I just used to yomp it in one go.
I'd be very surprised if you could save £60 in fuel by driving slower and having to use the brakes occasionally (if anything, off the motorways is probably marginally more economical), but the time can be a pain. I just viewed it as a days travelling whichever route
edit : this looks like the route I used to take - 2 hours longer than the tolls according to google. https://goo.gl/maps/TVMgDypHqBv
Fine if you live in SE England but north, no.
The 3 hrs going 80kph rather than 110. Made me realise why the tolls are worth it.
It's really easy to pop off the motorway find some nice place and rejoin but do it where you can in 2 junctions
I like the efficient dullness of toll roads.
For example..
IN the nothern half you can drop off the Autoroute before Reimes and head through Epernay which is the Champaigne region, lots of nice places for some food etcjoin at Reimes easily.
I'd be looking for stops like that mostly, how long are you planning to stop?
We did it once from Calais to Chamonix (or might have been Aosta on other side of Monty blanc). Don't recall the route exactly but basically drew a straight line on the map and followed it as close as possible. All the first part was driving thru the night which was interesting as France had just won the world cup a few hours before, so still people out even at 3 in the morning. quite enjoyed the driving and navigation challenge (no sat nav or smartphones). Never done it since other than just odd stop offs from the motorway ie champagne region etc.
From memory
Calais -> Lille -> Namur -> Luxembourg -> Metz -> Epinal -> Besancon -> Geneva -> Morzine
Adds a few hours all things considered but you can buy beer and fuel (and cigs if you're a smoker) in Luxembourg
Can't see the point personally.
the point for me used to be that 2 hours sitting in a car was worth less than £80 (£60 toll + £10 more economical + £10 cheaper fuel).
Fine if you live in SE England but north, no.
The route 5lab gave is easily accessible using North Sea Ferries to Zeebrugge.
How much is the Swiss carnet these days?
ViaMichelin is your friend, it'll show you the toll charges, different routes to avoid them and if you really dive into the guts of it you can play with the fuel costs by setting various mpgs etc.
Everytime I've looked the evidence has been brutally clear though, drive through France using the tolls, is 14 hours total driving door to door from my house 800ish miles (if I stick to the limits) go around the tolls and stick to the free roads, saves me €40 each way, but adds 4 hours to an already brutal drive, dip into Belgium, Luxembourg and Switzerland 21hours and costs more than the free roads option in France.
As tight as I am, for me, it's always going to be the tolls, it's boring - it seems that once you're on the main one it's nothing but flat fields, for half a day, then a big silver cock, than more fields for about a week, and then BAM you go into a tunnel and come out in the Alps, then it's merely another lifetime of twisty roads before you arrive. The idea of adding another 4-6 hours on top of that? Oh hell no.
the really expensive toll is between Reims and Dijon/Bourg and that is the only bit I sometimes avoid. Its not worth being off autoroute after Dijon and before Reims its also a PITA with various villages and towns that pop up making progress really slow.